Enough force to end the danger and no more.

Which means if no one's threatened you with physical danger, keep your hands (and feet (and head (and elbows (and knees)))) to yourself.

I don't know how much it happens in real life, but I dislike the free pass given to women a lot onscreen that they can hit without being hit back. But that's totally not the same as whaling on them. Ten to one being hit back as hard as they hit would end the fight right there. Getting hit when you're not expecting it and you're not used to it is a big shock.

In health class in high school senior year, when we had the "family relationships" curriculum, our teacher told us that, even though we see it all the time in movies, if a man calls a woman a bitch and then she slaps him, she's physically abusing him. A bunch of people in that class had, "What, really? Are you serious?" reactions.

DH and I have much different opinions about violence and physical fights due to our different backgrounds and physical capabilities. I have seen him in tough physical competition and in touchy potentially violent situations. I can't imagine him ever using more force than required and he is genius in his ability to avoid conflict. He plays ball in some really rough areas and gets challenged way more often than I would like, yet he always manages to talk the person down. Although he has a 'huge' physical advantage he will always choose another plan before a physical fight. Might be the big brains part.

edit for grammar

He also said that, if one person hits another as hard as he or she can, than the person who was hit is justified in hitting back as hard as he or she can, even if "as hard as he or she can" means a slight bruise for one person and broken bones for the other.

Could you get him to throw a pebble at me? I have a gun.

yep, a gun's just a fancy way of throwing things.

Aimee: www.endocrineweb.com has been a great resource for me about all things thyroid. Here's a page they have on pregnancy: [link]

(Hi, all! Not really here...just finished dress rehearsal and getting ready to go home...)

Dude, Hil, your officemate is a sexist, anti-Semetic toad. You are far too nice to him by debating with him as if his points are valued!

I have one more day of teaching, then one day where I ought to do some work on my research, and then break. I'm seriously doubting that I can make it all the way through. I need break now! I'm just physically and emotionally and mentally exhausted, and need to relax.

Hil, don't fret too much about your advisor's remark, esp if you feel it is directed at a particular paragraph. Just revise the paragraph. I can recall my advisor once telling me that she often had a hard time gauging how her comments might affect her grad students. What she said was, "It always surprises me when my students don't realize how great their writing is because I always think you can't be that good and not know it."

Your officemate, on the other hand, is really starting to bug. And I sure hope he never breeds, because a toddler will hit. He'll even hit as hard as he can and mean it, and as a parent you damn well better not hit back.

hil, I'm thinking your officemate is less "socially inept" and more "compelte fucking sociopath"

DH and I have much different opinions about violence and physical fights due to our different backgrounds and physical capabilities. I have seen him in tough physical competition and in touchy potentially violent situations. I can't imagine him ever using more force than required and he is genius in his ability to avoid conflict. He plays ball in some really rough areas and gets challenged way more often than I would like, yet he always manages to talk the person down. Although he has a 'huge' physical advantage he will always choose another plan before a physical fight. Might be the big brains part.

I'll never forget how in Chicago he stopped two guys we didn't even know from getting in a fight by slowly. standing. up. and staring at them.